For years people have been been suggesting that adult websites are single-handedly driving advancements in technology but what does that really mean? Aside from sexually explicit content what has the industry really contributed to the world and how has it improved your life? These are good questions and worth answering if for no other reason than cocktail conversation at your next party.
One of the earliest examples of this phenomenon was the rivalry between Beta Max and VHS. Sony introduced ‘Beta’ in 1975 beating JVC’s rival format of VHS to the market by over a year. During that crucial year Sony was able to capture a significant number of early adopters and introduce the world to the concept of watching movies at home and recording content to watch later. But they made one big mistake that caused the market to abandon their video player and move to the new technology-VHS by end of the decade. Sony refused to allow adult film makers to distribute their smut on Beta. That meant that anyone interested in watching adult content from the confort of their own home was forced to buy a VHS player, even if they already had a Beta Max. Adult video made VHS the only choice and drove the adoption of movie rentals and mail orders in a country that had been obsessed with going to the movies- even seedy adult theaters.
The technology push accelerated with the arrival of the internet. Pornographers were the first to widely distribute video over this new system. In the early years that meant a grainy postage stamp size clip that was hard to see even if you had the time to wait for it to download or buffer. Quality issues forced improved video compression technology and delivery methods long before YouTube and others joined in the online video land grab.
Another constraint faced and, ultimately, overcome by online adult content was bandwidth. With dial-up connections it took a very long time to download and watch short video clips, whether those were sports highlights or skin flicks. The proliferation of broadband internet access changed all of that and while it would be impossible to say that adult content alone drove the move to broadband, there is a direct correlation between broadband adoption and the explosive revenue growth in the online adult industry. Coincidently the offline adult industry began to loose market share at roughly the same time.
What few people realize is that adult websites helped perfect two other major online technologies; online billing including PayPal and stats and analytics programs like those sold by Visual Sciences LLC, a publicly traded company under the symbol VSCN. PayPal and other billing companies found their perfect match with online adult video. For one thing, users were willing to spend a lot of money on adult sites. Where there was some hesitation to buy books, sneakers and silverware online, there was not a moment of doubt when it came to consuming adult content online. Because there were so many transactions billing companies were able to perfect fraud tracking systems, ‘chargeback’ thresholds and rebilling programs. PayPal eventually abandoned their hugely profitable porn business when they were acquired by EBay because it conflicted with EBay’s corporate culture. Other companies like CCBill and Paycom stayed in the adult space and continue to thrive.
Stats tracking was essential in order to optimize web sites, content delivery and retention tools. Free sites were less worried about funneling users to the most profitable pages but adult sites that charged for membership made it a science. By tracking use patterns the sites have been able to present offerings likely to appeal to individual users and therefore increase conversions. Retention stats have helped with financial forecasts and valuation.
Adult continues to innovate, leading the way into mobile content, anonymous billing and alternative payment technologies like ACH (online checks), SMS billing and phone cards. Other sites like PerfectVideo.com are using revolutionary video delivery tools to give each user a fully customizable experience. Members can choose what part of a scene they want to watch and then edit those clips into cohesive adult mix tapes.
There is no telling what advancements adult will deliver next but some of today’s most popular sites owe their success to trails blazed by adult sites. It will be fascinating to see if any of those technologies can cross out of entertainment and contribute to medicine, space exploration or public safety. It does not look like there is anything like that on the horizon but it is too early to count them out. Adult has proven that they are full of surprises.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com-By: Duane Denison
One of the earliest examples of this phenomenon was the rivalry between Beta Max and VHS. Sony introduced ‘Beta’ in 1975 beating JVC’s rival format of VHS to the market by over a year. During that crucial year Sony was able to capture a significant number of early adopters and introduce the world to the concept of watching movies at home and recording content to watch later. But they made one big mistake that caused the market to abandon their video player and move to the new technology-VHS by end of the decade. Sony refused to allow adult film makers to distribute their smut on Beta. That meant that anyone interested in watching adult content from the confort of their own home was forced to buy a VHS player, even if they already had a Beta Max. Adult video made VHS the only choice and drove the adoption of movie rentals and mail orders in a country that had been obsessed with going to the movies- even seedy adult theaters.
The technology push accelerated with the arrival of the internet. Pornographers were the first to widely distribute video over this new system. In the early years that meant a grainy postage stamp size clip that was hard to see even if you had the time to wait for it to download or buffer. Quality issues forced improved video compression technology and delivery methods long before YouTube and others joined in the online video land grab.
Another constraint faced and, ultimately, overcome by online adult content was bandwidth. With dial-up connections it took a very long time to download and watch short video clips, whether those were sports highlights or skin flicks. The proliferation of broadband internet access changed all of that and while it would be impossible to say that adult content alone drove the move to broadband, there is a direct correlation between broadband adoption and the explosive revenue growth in the online adult industry. Coincidently the offline adult industry began to loose market share at roughly the same time.
What few people realize is that adult websites helped perfect two other major online technologies; online billing including PayPal and stats and analytics programs like those sold by Visual Sciences LLC, a publicly traded company under the symbol VSCN. PayPal and other billing companies found their perfect match with online adult video. For one thing, users were willing to spend a lot of money on adult sites. Where there was some hesitation to buy books, sneakers and silverware online, there was not a moment of doubt when it came to consuming adult content online. Because there were so many transactions billing companies were able to perfect fraud tracking systems, ‘chargeback’ thresholds and rebilling programs. PayPal eventually abandoned their hugely profitable porn business when they were acquired by EBay because it conflicted with EBay’s corporate culture. Other companies like CCBill and Paycom stayed in the adult space and continue to thrive.
Stats tracking was essential in order to optimize web sites, content delivery and retention tools. Free sites were less worried about funneling users to the most profitable pages but adult sites that charged for membership made it a science. By tracking use patterns the sites have been able to present offerings likely to appeal to individual users and therefore increase conversions. Retention stats have helped with financial forecasts and valuation.
Adult continues to innovate, leading the way into mobile content, anonymous billing and alternative payment technologies like ACH (online checks), SMS billing and phone cards. Other sites like PerfectVideo.com are using revolutionary video delivery tools to give each user a fully customizable experience. Members can choose what part of a scene they want to watch and then edit those clips into cohesive adult mix tapes.
There is no telling what advancements adult will deliver next but some of today’s most popular sites owe their success to trails blazed by adult sites. It will be fascinating to see if any of those technologies can cross out of entertainment and contribute to medicine, space exploration or public safety. It does not look like there is anything like that on the horizon but it is too early to count them out. Adult has proven that they are full of surprises.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com-By: Duane Denison
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